Roller screen construction and method



NOV. 29,1938. w E KEMP 2,138,105

ROLLER SCREEN CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD Original Fil ed June 22, 1934v I N V EN TOR. m'llz dra Z. ii em Z1 TTORNEY Patented Nov. 29, 1938 UNITED STATES ROLLER SCREEN CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD 7 William E. Kemp, Detroit, Mich.

Original application June 22, 1934, Serial No. 731,808. Divided and this application April 1 1,

1936, Serial No. 73,824

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved method and means for securing the edge of a sheet of flexible material to a roller upon which it is to be wound.

The present application is a division of applicants copending application Serial No. 731,808, filed June 22, 1934, patented Feb. 8, 1938, No. 2,107,755, which discloses a roller screen construction of the type employed in residences and other structures for the purpose of preventing insects from entering through opened windows, and the present invention is primarily directed to a method and means for connecting wire screening to a cylindrical roller upon which it is to be wound. It is apparent, however, that it is also applicable to the connection of other types of. flexible sheet materials to a roller.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel means for securing the ends of a fiexible strip to a roller and the provision of a spring roller of hollow metallic construction in which the walls of the roller are severed along an axially parallel line, and a roll of flexible material adapted to be rolled upon the roller and having an edge thereof resiliently clamped by the opposed margins of the roll along the lines of split.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel method of securing a flexible strip of material to a roller.

Other objects and advantages of theinvention will become apparent from the following specification, the accompanying drawing'and the appended claims.

Referring'to the drawing wherein like numerals are applied to like parts in the several'views:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a roller having a screen attached thereto in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 shows the blank from which the roll- ..er is formed. I

Figure 3 is a partially broken, partially sec tional view of apparatus provided for temporarily expanding the spring roller during the operation of securing thescreen thereto, the apparatus being shown in its loading or unloaded position.

over against the inside of the roll or tube in order to better insure its being locked in position and to prevent it from interfering with the spring which is utilmately assembled within the roller.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary plan View of the end of the roller shown in Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing there is shown in Figure 1 a tubular roller 66 having'a screen 32 secured at its edge thereto and adapted to be rolled upon the roller. Positioned within the end of the 10 roller is a cup-shaped member 10 having a central aperture in which is journaled the shaft 40 of the roller operating mechanism, which is preferably of the type shown in applicants aforementioned copending application. The outer end of the cup is provided with a split flange I overlapping the end of the roller for a purpose to be described.

In the conventional practice, the usual manner of securing the inner ends of screens such as 32 20 to their cooperating roller is to form the roller of a brass tube and to solder the screen thereto. Not only is this a relatively expensive method of securing the screen to theroller because of the length of time necessarily required to effect the soldering operation, but it entails considerable time and labor to place a new screen on the roller and the acid employed in the soldering operation frequently comes in contact with parts of the screen which are exposed during operation and results in unsightly spots thereon. The present invention eliminates the disadvantages of the previous practice in this respect, and moreover provides a construction which may be employed inconnecting any flexible strip of material to a roll, regardless of the nature of the flexible strip.

Referring particularly to Figures 2 to 6, inclusive, it Will be noted that the body 63 of the roll is split along a line 82 parallel to the axis of the roll. The body 68 is preferably formed in the same manner that butt welded tubing is formed, that is, a suitable length of 'a strip of metal such as indicated at 84 in Figure 2 is provided and is rolled up into a tube so as to bring opposite longitudinally extending edges into abutting relation with each other, such edges preferably abutting each other with a fair amount of pressure, in the present case preferably between 3 and 6 pounds to the inch in length. In the present instance the ends of the strip 84 are provided with central lugs 86 and edge lugs 88, the purpose of which will hereinafter be more fully described.

In following out the practices of the present invention in securing the screen 32 to the body 68 of the roll 66, the abutting edges along the line 82 are caused to be expanded or separated as indicated in Figure 5, the edge of the screen 32 is inserted between the spaced edges, and then the edges are allowed to again contract toward their normal abutting position and in which positions they will then firmly clamp the edge of the screen 32 between them. Preferably, a small amount of the edge is allowed to project into the interior of the body 68 and is bent over in the manner indicated in Figure 6 to further prevent possibility of pulling the screen 32 out of engagement with the body 68. By this means a quick and exceedingly efficient means is provided for securing the screen 32 to the roller.

In order to facilitate expanding of the body 68 to permit the insertion of the end of the screen 32, I preferably employ the apparatus indicated in Figures 3 to 6, inclusive. This apparatus comprises a pair of bar members 90 and 92, each of which is preferably longer than the body 88 and both of which are adapted for simultaneous insertion in a body '09; Opposed faces of the members 99 and 92 are preferably fiat to permit them to relatively closely approach each other and the opposite outer faces of the members 99 and 92 are preferably somewhat rounded into conformity with the contour of the inner surface of the body 68. The two members 99 and 92 are connected at intervals by links 94 received within suitable slots 99 provided centrally of the members, the links 94 being pivotally connected at one end by means of pins 98 with the bar 90 and by means of pins I00 with the bar 92. Corresponding ends of the bars 90 and 92 are pivotally connected as by means of pins I02 with a link I04 which is preferably anchored by means of a pin such as I05 toa bracket I08 secured to some fixed surface such as II9. With this construction it will be apparent that if the bars 90 and 92 are pulled in one direction relative to the axial line of the pin I96, as to the left as viewed in Figure 3, and the bars 90 and 92 are maintained in a given (horizontal shown) position during such move ment, the links 94 will act to draw the members 90 and 92 together or at least to a position of decreased separation. The bars 99 and 92 are so proportioned that when this is done as indicated in Figure 3 the body 98 of the roller 66 may be readily slipped over the bars as indicated in Figure 3. In doing this, the line of split 82 is preferably positioned to the side of the links 94 as illustrated in Figures 2 to 5, inclusive. The bars 90 and 92 with the body 6 8 thereon are then moved to the right as viewed in Figure 3 to bring the links I94 towards a more vertical position, and during such movement the links 94 act to cause the bars 90 and 92 to separate one from the other. In thus separating from one another the bars 99 and 92 engage opposite faces of the interior of the body member 68 and act to expand the body member, the abutting edges along the line 82 in such case separating from'each other to permit such expansion as indicated in Figure 5. When these edges are thus separated from each other the end of the screen 32 is projected between them, after which the mechanism is returned to the position indicated in Figure 3, permitting the abutting edges to again-approach each other and to firmly clamp the end of the screen 32 therein. The body 68 with the screen fixed thereto may then be removed from the bars and subsequent operation performed thereon.

Preferably some means are provided for limiting the amount which the end of the screen 32 may be projected between the abutting edges of the body 68 and such a means is indicated in Figures 4 to 6 as comprising a plate I I2 secured in overlapping relation with respect to corresponding side faces of the bars 90 and 92 so as to overlap the space between them. The end of the screen 32 when projected through the space between the separated abutting edges of the body 68 will contact with the plate II2 which will thereby limit further insertion of such end and prevent it from passing between the bars 90 and 92. After the bars 90 and 92 are contracted after insertion of the screen 32, the body 58 is preferably rotated relative to the bars 90 and 92, as indicated in Figure 6, so that the inwardly projecting edge portion of the screen 32 will engage one of the bars and be caused to be bent over into contact with the inner face of the body '68. As will be obvious, bending over of the inwardly projecting edge portion of the screen 32 will further enhance the security of the connection of the screen 32 with the body 68.

Although not essential in all cases, it is preferable in order to reduce the amount of physical effort required to expand the body 68 as above described in order to permit insertion of the end of the screen 32, and also to prevent possible distortion of the body 68 longitudinally of the line of severance 82 during the expanding operation, to provide antifriction means between one of the members 99 or 92 and the inner wall of the body 68. Such anti-friction means may be conveniently provided by widening the slot or recess 96 in one of the members 99 or 92, shown as the member 92 in the drawing, to a sufficient extent to permit a roller I I4 to be mounted upon each of the pivot pins I00 adjacent the corresponding link 94, the diameter of the roller be ing such that its periphery projects beyond the outer surface of the member 92. With such a construction the expanding force of the bar 92 is transmitted through the rollers I I4 which thus serve as anti-friction means to permit relative longitudinal movement between the bar 92 and the body member 69.

It will be apparent that when the blank 84 shown in Fig. 2 is rolled into a tube to make the body member 68, the lugs 88 at the same end of the blank will be brought into adjacent relationship so that in the final product each end of the body member 98 will be provided with a pair of approximately diametrically opposed lugs. Now referring to Figures 1 and '7, it will be noted that the outer end of the end member 10 for the roller 68 is provided with a radially outwardly projecting flange I20, against which the corre-- sponding end of the body member 68 abuts. At approximately diametrically opposite points the flange I29 is cut out and in these cut-out portions the lugs 89 and 88 are received, and the outer ends of the lugs are peened over the axially outer face of the flange I20 as at I22 in Figure 7 in order to prevent axial displacement between theend member I0 and the body 68 of the roller 66. Likewise, this engagement of the lugs and the flange I29 locks the end member I0 to the body 68 for equal rotation therewith. As an added feature, it will be noted that the lugs 88 in FigureZ are preferably tapered on their inner face and the corresponding notch or recess in the flange I29 is preferably so proportioned that, as indicated in Figure 7, when the corresponding end member I9 is forced into the end of the body 68 the sides of the notch will engage the tapered sides of the lugs 88 and will tend to further contract the abutting edges of the body 68 and thereby more firmly clamp the screen 32 therebetween. For this reason one of the notches is preferably held to reasonably close limits and the notches are offset from a true diameter as shown, or otherwise formed so that they will receive the lugs 8688 in one position only.

Formal changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the invention described without departing from the spirit or substance of the bread invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a tubular roller having a line of split extending from end to end thereof, lugs projecting from the ends of said roller on either side of said line of split, a strip of flexible material having a marginal edge thereof clamped between the opposed edges of said roller along said line of split, and end members for said roller engaging said lugs to hold said opposed edges against separation.

2. In combination, a tubular roller having a line of split extending from end to end thereof, a strip of flexible material having a marginal edge thereof received and clamped between the opposed edges of said roller along said line of split, outwardly tapering lugs formed at each end of said roller on either side of said line of split, and end members for said roller having a notched peripheral edge, the lugs at one end of said roller being engaged within the notch of the corresponding one of said end members and being urged toward one another by the opposite walls of said notch.

3. The method of securing a strip of flexible material to a tubular metallic roller comprising forming a tubular metallic roll-er with the Walls thereof severed along a single line from end to end and so constructed and arranged that the opposed edges of said walls along said line of split are normally in contact with each other, inserting an expanding tool within said tube, expanding said tool so as to cause said opposed edges to be spaced from one another, inserting an edge of said flexible strip between said edges, contracting the expanding tool to permit said opposed edges to engage the edge of said strip, and then rotating said tool and tube relative to each other to cause said tool to engage the inwardly projecting edge of the strip and bend the same against the inner wall of the tube.

4. In combination, a tubular roller having a longitudinal split from end to end, a sheet of flexible material having a marginal edge thereof clamped between the opposed edges of said roller atsaid split therein, the width of said sheet of flexible material being substantially equal to the length of said roller, and means located between the side edges of said sheet of material for holding said opposed edges of said roller against separation.

WILLIAM E. KEMP. 

